The quiet comeback of the night sky

Across a dozen towns this year, streetlights were dimmed and pointed down, and for the first time in decades people could see the Milky Way from their own back gardens.

Astronomers say the change took almost nothing: warmer bulbs, simple shields, and a little patience. The birds noticed first. Then the neighbors started coming out after dinner.

“It felt like getting something back we didn’t know we’d lost,” one resident said.